Classic Resident Evil Game Gets Massive Player Count Boost

Summary

Resident Evil Outbreak has hit a new player peak of over 5,000, with renewed interest in the game.
The game's connection to the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem trailer has led players to revisit or try it out for the first time.
Players are intrigued by the connection to original character Alyssa Ashcroft, sparking discussions of a possible remaster of the game.

Resident Evil Outbreak is seeing a sudden surge of interest, with the title achieving a new peak player count of over 5,000 people. While considerably lower than other modern online games, Resident Evil Outbreak has the disadvantage of having been officially taken offline years ago, meaning all these players are going through the trouble of figuring out how to connect to fan-run servers to play.

Resident Evil Outbreak is a relative outlier in the overall franchise, with many players having never had an opportunity to try it in its prime. As the first online co-op game in the series, Resident Evil Outbreak puts players in the role of one of eight characters who are attempting to survive the Raccoon City outbreak that occurs during the main series' second and third entries. While the game certainly has its fans, players only had a few years to enjoy its online mode, with the game launching in the US in 2004 and its servers going offline at the end of 2007.

More Resident Evil Requiem News Could Be Coming Sooner Than You'd Think

Resident Evil Requiem fans looking for more news about the upcoming game may not have to wait long to hear more information from Capcom.

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By James Ratcliff

Now, however, PS2 title Resident Evil Outbreak is getting a second lease on life due to renewed interest from the recent Resident Evil Requiem trailer. As has been the case with some recent mainline Resident Evil games, the franchise has occasionally introduced or brought back characters with connections to prior entries, like bringing back Resident Evil 2's Sherry Birkin in Resident Evil 6. In Requiem, the game appears to feature a protagonist named Grace Ashcroft, who is the daughter of a Resident Evil Outbreak survivor named Alyssa Ashcroft. It seems this connection has led to players revisiting the original Outbreak, or trying it out for the first time, with its fan server playercount reaching an all-time high of 5,635.

Learning About Alyssa Ashcroft and the Resident Evil Timeline

Many players may not be aware of Alyssa Ashcroft, but her story has played a role in the background of the series. Alyssa was a journalist at the Raccoon Press starting in 1993, where she repeatedly investigated events tied to the Umbrella Corporation. She canonically survived the destruction of Raccoon City and went on to play a role in the Raccoon Trials. However, modern Resident Evil players may recognize her name from Resident Evil 7, where a newspaper can be found containing an article covering the biological disaster and subsequent disappearances in the region, penned by Ashcroft.

According to the Resident Evil Requiem trailer, Alyssa Ashcroft has since died, having apparently been murdered at a place called the Wrenwood Hotel. Her daughter, Grace, will be returning to that hotel in the upcoming game, which will presumably shed more light on the fate of her mother.

The renewed interest shows that players are intrigued by the connection to an original Resident Evil Outbreak character, leading some to wonder if Capcom might consider remastering it someday. In any case, more about the Ashcrofts will be revealed soon enough, with Resident Evil Requiem arriving in February of 2026.

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